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479482

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Government Departments: Small Businesses
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to develop a standardised methodology for measuring SME spending by government departments which can be used as a baseline over the next five years.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31682
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2016 answer text <p>We have developed our methodology over time, starting in 2010 when there was no reliable estimate for spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We now have much better data than before 2010 and we are continuing to improve our understanding of spend. The Government exceeded its target of 25% of central government procurement spend going to small and medium businesses by 2015, achieving over £12 billion (27.1%) of spend with SMEs by the end of the last Parliament.</p><p>The Government standardised its methodology for collecting data on direct spend with SMEs in 2011-12; data on direct spend published since that point is comparable. Data on indirect spend for 2013-14 and 2014-15 is also comparable. This is an area of continuous improvement and we intend to standardise our methodology again during 2016-17.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 11/04/2016 10:16:45 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479478

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Science: Capital Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the running costs were for the 56 capital based science projects which his Department has funded for each year since 2007, referred to in the NAO Report entitled BIS's capital investment in science projects, HC 885, published on 10 March 2016; and what the projected running costs for those projects are for each year to 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31687
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2016 answer text <p>Running costs for 2014-15 for the 56 projects are given in Appendix 3 of the NAO Science Capital report where facilities are operational. These figures come from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its Partner Organisations and provide an indication of annual running costs of these projects.</p><p>Project level management and allocation of funding for the majority of ongoing science projects is done at Partner Organisation level, in accordance with the delivery responsibilities of the Partner Organisations BIS funds. BIS does not hold this level of information centrally and it would not be possible to collect this information for each of the years since 2007, and estimates for future years, without disproportionate cost. However, the Government has protected the science and research budget in real terms in the 2015 spending review to ensure science spending remains on a sustainable footing and continues to deliver world-class research.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 31/03/2016 14:52:05 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479484

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	UK Trade and Investment: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many UK Trade and Industry (UKTI) staff have direct experience of working in private sector exporting companies before taking up their employment at UKTI.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31661
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2016 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p>UK Trade &amp; Investment does not hold information on staff with direct experience of working in private sector exporting companies. I can however confirm that a large number of its staff have been recruited from the private sector.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 22/03/2016 16:27:10 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479485

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Materials: Patents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of global patents for graphene that is held in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2016 answer text <p>The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) estimates that 5% of global graphene patent documents published between 2005 and 2014 have coverage in the UK (in that they are applications to the IPO or the European Patent Office (EPO) with effect in the UK, but were not necessarily filed by UK applicants).</p><p> </p><p>In the same period, UK applicants were responsible for filing 1% of published global graphene patent applications worldwide.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 05/04/2016 10:43:10 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot previous answer version 52914 answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479494

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Companies: Registration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many companies have cited in their registration at Companies House their registered office, the address of another business or private individual which they are not authorised to use in each year for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31546
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/03/2016 answer text <p>Companies House has received the following number of complaints that companies have cited as their registered office, the address of another business or private individual that they allegedly are not authorised to use.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of Cases</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>1,270</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>1,385</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16 (to date)</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Provisions contained in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 will be commenced on 6 April. These will allow the Registrar of Companies to act in the event of a complaint of this nature about a registered office.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 30/03/2016 10:00:15 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479495

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Research: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment has he made of the potential impact on innovation in the UK of his Department's change to government research and development funding from a grant-based to a loan-based system.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31572
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2016 answer text <p>Like many of our competitor economies, we are looking to provide a wider range of financial products to support, innovation in UK industry. In the coming months, we will, be conducting market research to better understand the needs of innovative businesses in the UK.</p><p>This will be followed by a pilot to test specific financial support mechanisms, with an evaluation in late 2016, leading to a roll-out of a range of new products in 2017. We will continue to provide grant funding to support research and development where appropriate - including, for example, aerospace research supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute and automotive research supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre.</p> answering member constituency Orpington answering member printed Joseph Johnson question first answered 31/03/2016 14:51:29 answering member 4039 label Biography information for Lord Johnson of Marylebone
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479496

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which companies have failed to pay the national minimum wage since the introduction of the new naming and shaming regulations on 1 October 2013.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31589
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2016 answer text <p>Since the introduction of the revised naming and shaming scheme, details of employers who have failed to pay the National Minimum Wage have been published on gov.uk. Details can be found via the following links:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed-february-2016" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed-february-2016</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed-october-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed-october-2015</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed</a> (July 2015)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed</a> (March 2015)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-and-shames-largest-ever-number-of-national-minimum-wage-offenders" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-and-shames-largest-ever-number-of-national-minimum-wage-offenders</a> (February 2015)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-and-shames-37-national-minimum-wage-offenders" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-and-shames-37-national-minimum-wage-offenders</a> (January 2015)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-the-national-minimum-wage" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-the-national-minimum-wage</a> (November 2014)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-minimum-wage" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-minimum-wage</a> (June 2014)</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-gets-tough-with-employers-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-gets-tough-with-employers-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage</a> (February 2014)</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 23/03/2016 16:38:17 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles previous answer version 52916 answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479491

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
	answering dept id	63
	answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
	answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
	hansard heading	Environment Protection: Investment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 23296, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of (a) public and (b) private sector investment for low-carbon infrastructure and supply chain investment which has been invested in each year for which data is available.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31530
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2016 answer text <p>DECC’s March 2015 Energy Investment Report estimates that total investment in low carbon electricity was £42.1billion between 2010 and 2014. Table 1 below splits this investment out by technology type. Detailed information is not available on how this figure is split between public and private sector investment, though the majority is private sector investment supported by government policies, or how much is invested in the supply chain. In November, the Government renewed its commitment to the transition to a low carbon economy by confirming a continued budget for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The overall budget for the RHI is to rise from £430 million in 2015/16 to £1.15 billion in 2020/21.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><em>Table 1: Estimated investment in low carbon electricity generation capacity for 2010-2014</em></strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Estimated investment in electricity generation capacity in £’s billion (2012 prices)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Electricity generation technology</p></td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Onshore Wind1</p></td><td><p>7.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Offshore Wind</p></td><td><p>9.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Biomass and Bioenergy2</p></td><td><p>8.8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Marine</p></td><td><p>0.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Solar PV3</p></td><td><p>11.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hydro4</p></td><td><p>0.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other Renewable5</p></td><td><p>1.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Renewables Generation Capacity Investment</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>39.6</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Nuclear6</p></td><td><p>2.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>CCS</p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Renewables, Nuclear &amp; CCS Generation Capacity Investment</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>42.1</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>Source: DECC’s Energy Investment Report March 2015</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>1</em><em> Including large scale onshore wind, but excluding Scottish Islands onshore wind </em></p><p><em>2</em><em> Including dedicated biomass, biomass conversions, bioliquids, energy from waste, anaerobic digestion (including small scale), advanced conversion technologies, landfill and sewage gas (including CHP variations of any of these technologies)</em></p><p><em>3</em><em> Including large and small scale solar PV </em></p><p><em>4</em><em> Including large and small scale hydro technologies </em></p><p><em>5</em><em> Including Scottish Islands onshore wind, small scale onshore wind, and geothermal (including CHP)</em></p><p><em>6</em><em> 2010-2014 investment estimate includes the purchase of Horizon Nuclear Power by GE Hitachi, the purchase of the Moorside site by NuGen and expenditures in the period relating to the development of Hinkley Point C</em></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 23/03/2016 14:43:03 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479480

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates: Appeals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-domestic rate arrears appeals were (a) lodged and (b) heard in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31686
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2016 answer text <p>The information requested is accessible via Tables LRW1and LRW2 of our 2005 and 2010 NDR Challenges and changes publications. Links below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479037/NDR_2010_Challenges_and_Changes.xls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479037/NDR_2010_Challenges_and_Changes.xls</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479045/NDR_2005_Challenges_and_Changes.xls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479045/NDR_2005_Challenges_and_Changes.xls</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 29/03/2016 10:34:14 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

479492

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2016
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Redundancy Pay: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4February 2016 to Question 24536, what assessment he has made of the number of exit payments in the private sector above £1 million; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of such exit payments on pay inequality within and between the public and private sectors.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
	tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
	uin	31531
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2016 answer text <p>Exit payment terms and contractual arrangements, including the number of individuals on those terms, vary significantly across the private sector and within the public sector. The Government has made no specific assessment of the number of exit payments in the private sector above £1 million. The Government accepts there may be examples of terms in the private sector that match or exceed those in the public sector; including some private sector exit packages that exceed £1 million. Conversely, the Government has seen no evidence that redundancy terms such as employer-funded early retirement, which are widely available across the public sector and often cost employers tens, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds per person, are replicated to the same extent in the private sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government has a duty to ensure public sector exit payments are fair and provide value for money to the tax payer. This is why, in the 2015 Spending Review, the Government announced it would consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms to ensure greater consistency within the public sector and reduce the cost of redundancy pay-outs. This consultation was launched on the 5 February 2016 and can be found at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-consultation-on-limiting-public-sector-exit-payments" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-consultation-on-limiting-public-sector-exit-payments</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government believes that the remuneration of senior staff in the private sector is primarily a matter for companies and their shareholders. Comprehensive reforms were introduced in 2013 to require companies to put their forward-looking pay policies, which must include details of their approach to exit payments, to a binding shareholder vote at least every three years. Companies are therefore only able to make exit payments within the limits that have been approved by a majority of shareholders.</p><p> </p><p>Overall, public sector pay remains on average comparable to private sector pay, and public sector defined benefit pensions are amongst the best available. HM Treasury analysis, as well as independent studies, show public sector pay at a premium for most of the last Parliament, and a significant continued premium when pensions are taken into account (IFS October 2014).</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 24/03/2016 12:38:47 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
	tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan